HOWELL, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – “It’s not going to change anything,” Ralph Myer told the Livingston Daily about the registration requirements and the background checks that Michigan legislators are trying to push through the Michigan House and Senate.

Myer is the owner of Ralph’s Gun Shop in Stockbridge and says that the bills advancing through the Democratic-led Michigan legislature will only cause problems for legal buyers and sellers and won’t improve safety.

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Mike Paige, owner of Oakland Tactical in Harland Township, is of the same opinion. He says, “Wackos will be wackos…If someone comes in and is prohibited, they are going to come in and lie, and the ATF probably knows, but they aren’t filtering. I think if they followed the laws on the books, it would be a better situation. There are plenty of laws on the books about firearms.”

As gun control legislation continues to be introduced, voted on and passed by the Michigan House and Senate, gun shop owners like Myer are pushing back and talking about how the new laws will only make it harder for people who are looking to buy firearms legally.

Paige says that while background checks might be okay for a first-time gun buyer, they aren’t good for most gun buyers. He said, “Most of our customers aren’t buying their first gun, and they aren’t going to buy their last gun to commit mass murder…Maybe first-time gun owners, yeah, universal background check the crap out of them.”

He also said that universal background checks “are going to clog up the system more…It’s not going to stop any of the handgun violence. They are going after rifles and long guns, which isn’t the tool of choice for mass murderers. I don’t have much confidence it will move the needle.”

In addition to the many bills advancing in Michigan right now, the Michigan Senate has a package of bills that includes removing current legal protections for licensed firearms dealers and manufacturers. Myer asked, “As far as the seller being liable, does a Ford dealership have to be responsible if someone who drives drunk kills someone?”

Tom Lambert, legislative director for Michigan Open Carry, told the Detroit News that this change to the law “has the potential to shut down every gun store in the state.”